Heroin is unlawful yet there is a heroin "epidemic".
Hand grenades are unlawful to possess but law breakers possess them.
Nuclear weapons - plain silly to mention.

And to your compatriot, or alt - laws apply only to the lawful. The lawful aren't shooting up churches, concerts, street corners, shopping malls, marathons, schools, etc. Why deprive them of a means of protecting themselves from harm.

And it serves to mention that the gunman's spree was cut short by an armed citizen who shot back.

Furthermore, I could ask you - if guns are not necessary for self defense then why do the police carry them? Police are not a solution. If they were, there would be no murder or mayhem in our society. They prevent nothing because stuff usually happens wherever they are not.

I admire your ability to dream. But as long as there is more than one person on the planet there can be no Utopia. Just ask Adam.

Hand grenades are unlawful to possess but law breakers possess them.--- How many do you own? How many Americans killed in the US with them? Thanks for proving the point regulations work. Why have speeding laws? speeders gonna speed right? So you think that if we make heroin legal and easy to get, it will help fix the 'epidemic? is that what you are saying?

I would be very concerned about who is allowed to define the parameters of mental illness, if you plan to use that to restrict Constitutionally guaranteed rights. One man's "crazy" is another man's "patriot".

who said anything about banning the private ownership of guns? You know many nations in the world have guns and no shootings or very few, because in those nations killing tools designed for warfare are not allowed to be sold. You want bold action for hunting? no problemo. you want a 6-12 shot handgun or a double barrel shotgun? no problemo. You want a semiauto rifle and butstock to go with your carton of hand grenades? Big problemo, and they need to be banned. Now stop jumping to conclusions and get with the program.

Gun control does NOT prevent murderers from obtaining guns, merely makes it unlawful to do so, much like the murder they are intending to unlawfully commit.

Gun control DOES prevent "law abiding" citizens from possessing guns to protect their life and liberty against gun toting foreign invaders, domestic tyrants, and the murderers, thieves, etc.

Freedom is the opportunity to make choices. Your choice to not own a gun is great - for you. However, neither you nor the government has the right to make my choice for me. Taking a knife to a gun fight never worked out well for anyone.

The last several terrorist attacks (and the current ISIS 'approved' form of mayhem) is Vehicular Homicide. You see? Taking away this or banning that or restricting the other thing does NOT solve the problem. Killers always find a way to kill. It is part of the price we pay for having Constitutionally guaranteed liberty.

Would you like to solve the problem? I know how, and it's shockingly simple: Tear up the Constitution and convert America into a full-on fascist police state. Why only take half-measures? A bolt-action rifle or shotgun can be just as deadly as any semi-auto. Pistols are concealable. When you get right down to it, only the police and the military should have guns anyway, right? Stop doing things halfway and have the courage of your convictions. Once you start down that road, it's where you'll end up eventually anyway, so why waste time doing it incrementally? Go big or go home. Either you support the Constitution and particularly the 2nd and 4th amendments, or you support a fascist police-state. Pick one or the other, because there is no middle ground to be had here.

*I* haven't ever needed to use a hand grenade, but men with evil intentions will go to the places where they can buy them. That's the thing - evil will always get what they want by **whatever methods** they can use. The only ones stopped by the law are those who respect the law. Criminals, BY DEFINITION, do not respect the law. Ponder that a while, why don't you? Also, I'd suggest taking a look at Switzerland's gun laws

You missed my point again. The point being that the Swiss have the lowest amount of murders in the **world** due to the fact that **every house has at least one gun in it**

The fact of the matter is that when more people have **legal access** to firearms, the lower the crime rate. Why? Because no criminal wants to engage in a potentially fatal situation. ( psst. This is also why "gun free zones" don't work. Criminals see that and see "Oh, no one can stop me here" )

It wasn't that long ago that you might be tending your field, tanning your hides, foraging for food, or grinding your corn by hand when a raiding party from the tribe across the river would swoop down and kill the lot of you.

You must always maintain situational awareness and responsibility for your own physical security. Relying on statutes and policing to do it for you is a model for failure.

When a person, a people, submit themselves to dependence for their "safety" they are eventually terrorized by both the "evil doers" and their "protector".